Police, community and calendar briefs for April 5, 2013

A Dunnellon man accused of molesting two teenage girls was arrested early Thursday.

POLICE BEAT

Man molested two teens, police report

DUNNELLON — A Dunnellon man accused of molesting two teenage girls was arrested early Thursday.

The man, who is 44, faces 11 charges, including sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation.

His name and the relationship between him and the victims were not released by authorities.

Officials with the Dunnellon Police Department said the molestation began when the victims were 13 and 15. They are now 19 and 21.

The victims told Officer Carolina Rolfes about occasions when the man had sex with them and inappropriately touched them over several years, and at times gave them marijuana, crack cocaine and alcohol, according to reports.

Rolfes located the man at his home, and he was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.

COMMUNITY

State Health Dept. will be at downtown market

The Florida Department of Health in Marion County will join the Ocala Farm Market on the Ocala Downtown Square from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to mark National Public Health Week.

Department representatives will provide information about topics such as emergency preparedness, health education, immunizations, nutrition, school nursing and women’s health

Tickets are $45 per person or $85 per couple; poker tournament tickets are $75 per person.

For more information, call 873-5811.

Alex Sink to speak at local women’s seminar

The Community Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneur Initiative will host a networking seminar from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at the College of Central Florida Ewers Center at 3001 SW College Road, Ocala.

The keynote speaker will be Alex Sink, former chief financial officer for the state of Florida.

The cost is $25.

For more information, email Barbara@ocalafoundation.org.

STATE

High court rules state can’t hold sex offender

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that the state can’t hold a Venice man in sex offender detention because he had already finished his prison sentence by the time paperwork was filed.

The court ruled 5-2 in Larry Phillips’ case on Thursday.

It said an individual must be in “lawful custody” when commitment proceedings are started. Phillips was in physical custody but his sentence had expired three months earlier.

Florida’s “Jimmy Ryce Act” lets the state detain sex offenders even after they have completed prison if courts determine they are a danger to the community. They cannot be released until they’ve received treatment and a judge rules they no longer are a danger.

The law is named for a 9-year-old boy who was raped and murdered in Miami-Dade County.

— The Associated Press

Toddler found walking the streets by herself

ORLANDO — A nearly 2-year-old Orlando girl has been reunited with her family after she was found wandering the streets alone. Authorities struggled to find information about the toddler Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families says the toddler lives with her adult sister. The sister went to work and left the child with a babysitter who fell asleep after working an overnight shift. The babysitter woke up, went looking for the toddler and discovered fliers about the missing girl.

DCF reunited the girl with her family and is working on getting them additional door locks and affordable child care. Orlando Police said Thursday there were no signs of abuse and no charges will be filed.

— The Associated Press

Immigrant’s request for law license denied

TALLAHASSEE — A man brought into the country as a child on a visitor’s visa has been denied a license to practice law.

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday denied Jose Godinez-Samperio’s motion for admission to the Bar.

That’s because the court can’t rule on his admission until it resolves the question of whether people who enter or remain in the U.S. without legal permission can be attorneys in Florida. That decision is pending.

Godinez-Samperio’s parents brought him to the United States from Mexico on a visitor’s visa when he was 9. They overstayed their visas and never returned to Mexico.

He graduated from Florida State University’s law school and already has passed the Florida bar examination.

— The Associated Press

World War II vet finally awarded Purple Heart

FORT MYERS — Some 70 years after his ship was hit by Japanese bombs, a World War II veteran has received a Purple Heart for his service.